REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Political expert from the Indonesian Science Institute Ikrar Nusa Bhakti said Indonesia could play an important role to save Myanmar`s Muslim minority Rohingya. "Expressing regret is not enough for Indonesia, the government could take an initiative such as through diplomacy," Ikrar said on Thursday. 

Latest report said almost 650 of an estimated 1 million Rohingya people had been killed in clashes in area west of Rakhine, Myanmar. Around 1,200 others were missing and more than 90,000 were badly in neglect without food and medicines, the report said.

Yangon denies them Myanmar citizenship although they have lived there for generations. Ikrar said despite the principle of non interference in internal affairs among ASEAN countries, Indonesia is in better position to deal with that problem compared with other countries in this region.

Indonesia, through good relationships between the military of the two countries had contributed to the political reform in Myanmar, he said. Indonesia`s leading role in ASEAN should be able to play an effective diplomacy to sort out the humanity issue, he added. 

"Palestine, which is far away has even shown great concern about the fate of the Rohingya people," he said. The United Nations has described the Muslim Rohingya community as Asian Palestine, one of the most oppressed minority community in the world.